Bronica ETRS Battery Question

[Beevo]

How long should the battery last if the camera is not used?

A fresh battery is depleted within a month or so with my camera not being used. Camera has the metered prism E

 

[abruzzi]

my batteries last several years even with moderate use, but I don't have a metering prism attached, so the only thing potentially drawing power is the shutter. I'd make sure the prism is switched off, if that can be done, or else remove it when not being used. (I also lock the shutter release button when not in use.)

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

I use my ETRS about once a month or so (and normally 1 or 2 rolls). Last time I change battery was close to 2 years ago and last time I checked (about 2 weeks ago) it was ok.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

my batteries last several years even with moderate use, but I don't have a metering prism attached, so the only thing potentially drawing power is the shutter. I'd make sure the prism is switched off, if that can be done, or else remove it when not being used. (I also lock the shutter release button when not in use.)

Confirm I do the same. I remove both the prism, film back and handle when I put camera on case.

 

[Beevo]

I'll try to remember to switch the Meter Prism off when not in use and see what happens. Could also have been a defective battery, rare as that might be.

Camera is new to me and I have no experience on the ETRS system.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

Probably it was an old battery (old before putting on camera)? Also, I would recommend silver oxide batteries over Alkaline. Last longer and keep a more linear voltage over their lifetime.

 

[Beevo]

Chance of that. I also have not trained myself to turn off the meter prism after use and the various junk exposures proves I forget to turn it on before use.

 

[neilt3]

I rarely change the battery in my ETRSi , ETRS or SQ-Ai , I can't tell you how long they last , but long enough to forget when I last changed them !
Leaving the meter switched on and not locking the shutter release button when it's pressed up against the inside of your bag will soon kill it though .
The only time mine hasn't lasted was caused by that .
New battery last time I had it out , dead battery next time I took it out .

 

[Beevo]

I have the Speed Grip if that makes any difference

 

[neilt3]

I have the Speed Grip if that makes any difference

The triggers just another ( easier ) point of contact that can activate the meter if it's left switched on and the lock on the shutter release buttons left on .

 

[DWThomas]

I vaguely recall that when I was contemplating a Bronica system back in 2006 or so, the metered prisms had a bit of a reputation for battery life issues. Enough such that I bought my SQ-A with non-metered viewing, as I was shooting in leisurely fashion and had manual meters available. There's an assortment of the metered finders and as I remember it, some were worse than others, but my not written down research is fifteen years old now!

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

I vaguely recall that when I was contemplating a Bronica system back in 2006 or so, the metered prisms had a bit of a reputation for battery life issues. Enough such that I bought my SQ-A with non-metered viewing, as I was shooting in leisurely fashion and had manual meters available. There's an assortment of the metered finders and as I remember it, some were worse than others, but my not written down research is fifteen years old now!

Probably so. Like previously stated, it is a good idea to remove finder from camera body when not in use/in storage, since the battery is on the body (at least on the ETRS), not finder. That way you avoid battery drain.

 

[Beevo]

Probably so. Like previously stated, it is a good idea to remove finder from camera body when not in use/in storage, since the battery is on the body (at least on the ETRS), not finder. That way you avoid battery drain.

Removing the finder sounds good. I think I will see what transpires with the switch off and no buttons risking being pushed. That state would be the easiest for my storage situation.

I do have caps for both the body and the finder

Thanks!

 

[reddesert]

It is not a bad idea to just take the battery out when not using and keep it with the camera. Might be easier than taking off the finder, and avoids the possibility of battery leakage. (I don't think leakage is as severe a problem with the PX28 batteries the Bronica uses as with AA batteries, but worth thinking about if you leave the camera stored for a month at a time.)

In principle, I think the ETRS electronics are switched on by a mechanical? switch (shutter button half press) or the battery check light button, so there should not be any current draw if the button isn't pressed.

 

[neilt3]

In principle, I think the ETRS electronics are switched on by a mechanical? switch (shutter button half press) or the battery check light button, so there should not be any current draw if the button isn't pressed.

Correct.
There is a collar around the shutter release button that should be rotated to lock the button .
Otherwise while the camera is in the bag , the button easily gets pressed , activating the meter , and draining the battery.
With the speedgrip attached it awkward to do this .

 

[Beevo]

I found that a while back..Given the camera has the speed grip this has remained in the lock position. Thanks for the heads up.

At this point I need to be religious about turning the knob on the Finder E to the off position and see what happens.

 

[hardly any color]

IIRC Bronica prisms do not have auto shutoff, so they keep running and drain the battery

 

[Beevo]

IIRC Bronica prisms do not have auto shutoff, so they keep running and drain the battery

I think at this point I have discovered this....

 

[reddesert]

The Bronica ETR body and prisms that I know about, shut off when you let go of the button. That's the auto off.

On looking at an ETR AE prism, I recalled that there is a button on the prism front that you can press to turn on the display and meter, so that's another thing to watch out to keep from getting pressed in the camera bag.

Since it seems to be a topic of interest, I used a multimeter and a bunch of test leads to measure the current drain of a Bronica ETRS. (You have to wire the battery and ammeter in series outside the camera to do this and it's a pain, hence all the test leads). The AE prism I found meters but does not light up its LED display, so it is likely to underestimate the current drain but only when the LED is on.

In prism A mode: idle <0.2 mA; display button pressed (metering) 11 mA; while shutter open 20 mA.

In prism M mode: idle <0.2 mA; display button pressed (metering) 10 mA; while shutter open 17 mA.

I assume that the "display button pressed" numbers would be higher if the LED on my prism turned on. Anyway, so far I believe that the idle current drain is quite low but the button-on drain would be enough to use up a battery while in storage.

 

[Beevo]

OK, it's been a month and the battery is still good. Issue was my not realizing the prism was pulling from the battery if left in the A position.

Thanks to all for your input.